New Professional Services Higher Apprenticeship from OCR

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03/09/2012

OCR is broadening its Apprenticeship portfolio by offering its first Higher Apprenticeship, available from September 2012.

OCR is one of the first awarding bodies to develop Higher Apprenticeship in Professional Services qualifications.

Extra funding for Higher Apprenticeships in this sector, seen as critical to the success of the UK economy, was announced by the government in December 2011. More than forty employers were actively involved in the detailed design of this new Level 4 Professional Services Apprenticeship framework, which has been developed to fit across all sectors and employers – not just specialist professional services firms.

It provides learners with the opportunity to choose a specialist pathway, with a choice from Audit, Tax and Management Consulting.

This Apprenticeship framework is also closely aligned with existing professional development pathways maintained by the Association of Tax Technicians (ATT) and the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales), meaning learners can secure relevant professional qualifications as part of their Apprenticeship.

OCR's Chief Executive, Mark Dawe commented: "At OCR, we place a great deal of importance on the value of Apprenticeships and are very excited to have a Higher Apprenticeship available from September. This particular Apprenticeship gives real choice, with its specialist pathways and the inclusion of professional qualifications. It shows how Apprenticeships are now able to offer young people a viable professional alternative to university education."

A key plus point of Higher Apprenticeships is that learners can take a paid vocational route through their education and still come out with a qualification that’s at the same level as a foundation degree.

The Apprenticeship is made up of three components, all offered by OCR: the knowledge component, the competence component and functional skills.